Lagos Cholera Outbreak: Latest Update On Transmission, New Cases, Deaths

Here is an update on the new cases and deaths amid the Lagos cholera outbreak.

Eko Hot Blog reports that the Lagos State Government has announced a “significant improvement” in daily Cholera cases from the spike reported two weeks ago.

Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, disclosed the latest trend on Sunday while providing an update on the cholera outbreak.

He, however, acknowledged evidence of ongoing low-grade community transmission, because few cases are still been presented to hospitals.

Prof. Abayomi revealed that although no new cholera-related deaths had been reported in the last 72 hours, the government was intensifying countermeasures to eliminate transmission.

He noted that the reduction in new daily cases and the absence of new deaths indicate interventions are bearing dividends but more importantly that residents are adhering to public health information and advice on safety measures and the need for early presentation to health facilities when symptoms develop.

However, the commissioner reported that a small outbreak of 25 cases of severe gastroenteritis occurred at Kirikiri Medium Security Prison confirmed to be caused by Cholera.

Prof. Abayomi that urgent medical and environmental intervention measures have been implemented with success.

Addressing the source of the Lagos cholera outbreak two weeks ago, he disclosed that it has been traced to unregulated street beverages and contaminated water supply.

The health commissioner explained that many of the samples taken from popular street beverages purchased by undercover environmental officers from the Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) and the Ministry of Health in the affected areas confirmed the presence of vibrio cholera bacteria, which is the cause of Cholera.

“All of the containers had no NAFDAC accreditation numbers, indicating they are small cottage backyard informal production units,” he said.

“Identifying the precise location of manufacture has proven difficult and the directorate of environmental health is planning to seal any such unregulated manufacture and make arrests of anybody involved with the manufacture or distribution of beverages without NAFDAC numbers.”

Prof. Abayomi added that the state government through its interagency “One Health” approach is enforcing environmental health countermeasures in collaboration with Lagos Water Corporation and sanitation agencies (LAWMA and LASWAMO) to ensure widespread sanitation activities, inspection and disinfection of boreholes, supplying of potable water to affected local governments, and enforcement and stricter regulations on local beverage manufacturers.

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